Truck



Dec. 31, 194

R; B. COTTRELL ET AL TRUCK Filed June 26, 1944 i R 0 m w W.

Patented Dec. 31, 1946 Robert B. Cottrelland Fred E. Bachman, Chicago,

111., as'signors to, American Steel Foundries, l Qhicago, Ill'., a corporation of New Jersey Application June26, 1944,'Serial No. 542,094

4. Claims. 1

Our invention relates to a railway car truck and more particularly to such. a truck commonly known in the art as quick wheel change type, in which the bolster may be disengaged from the side frame without disturbing the spring group on which it is normally seated. It is well known that the riding quality of. a truck is related to, the length of spring travel and to the manner in which the spring may be controlled as by snubbing its action when there is a tendency to excessive vibration. Our invention is directed to a well known type of high speed snubbed truck sometimes used with long travel springs and is directed to novel means of retaining the bolster in assembled relationship with the side frame under such long travel conditions without interfering with the quick wheel'change feature and-while at the same time accommodating relatively extensive vertical oscillations which are desirable for good riding qualities.

An object of our invention is to devise a novel interlocking member between the'side frame and bolster in such a car truck as that described, so arranged as to admit of its convenient removal or application for wheel change or other purpose. A different object of our invention is to devise such an interlocking means which will afford additional outboard bearing area or guiding means for the bolster along the columns of the side frame, thus affording additional safety for such a car truck.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the car truck embodying our invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof, partly in section, the section being taken substantially in the transverse horizontal plane indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view through the truck structure shown in Figures 1 and 2, the section beingtaken approximately in the vertical plane bisecting the truck transversely, as indicated by the section line 33 of Figure 1., the bolster, however, being shown in side elevation.

It will be'noted that the car truck to which we have applied our novel arrangement is of well known type, including a truss side frame with the compression member 2 and the tension member 4 joined with the integral columns 5 and 8 to form the bolster opening it. The tension mem her 4 may be widened intermediatethe columns 6 and 8 and formed at either side thereof with an upstanding flange l2 defining the spring seat [4 on which may be positioned coil springs diagrammatically indicated at I6, 16 upon which may be seated in usual manner as at IS the bolster end 20, said bolster end being the usual box section and in this instance including side Pockets in which may be housed friction shoes 22, 22 arranged for slidable engagement with tapered surfaces on said bolster as at 24, 24 under actuation of auxiliary springsv diagrammatically indicated 4 at 2B, 26, whereby said shoes are urged into engagement as at 28, 28 with wear plates 30, 30 fixed on respective columns for that purpose. The features thus far described relate to a form of car truck well known in the art. In our modification the bolster end 20 is formed with outboard guide, lugs 32, 32 having a depth somewhat less than the widened portion at the top of the bolster opening ID as defined by the space between the compression member 2 at the top thereof and the upper ends of the guide portions intermediately formed on each column so that the bolster end may be elevated from the supporting spring group and disengaged from the side frame through the said widened portion of the top of the bolster opening Ill.

It will readily be understood that in a truck utilizing long travel springs, the vertical oscillations will be more extensive and therefore there will be a tendency for portions of the guide lugs 32, 32 to rise at times above the tops of the column guide portions of the side frame. Under such conditions it is desirable to supplement said guides 32, 32 so that when the bolster is soelevated, additional guide means will be afforded between the bolster and the side frame columns to prevent accidental disengagement of the side frame or bolster and also to prevent excessive shock thrusts against the guides 32, 32. With this in mind, we have devised a novel form of bolster and side frame interlocking member, generally designated 34, said interlocking member having a main horizontal web 36 which may seat as at 38 (Figure l). on the top wall of the bolster end adjacent the extremity thereof, said web overly ing the full width of the bolster and being secured thereto as by the spaced bolt and nut assemblies 40, 40, said bolts extending through the top wall of the bolster end as clearly seen in Figure 1.

Said interlocking member 34 may have integrally formed vertical webs or legs 42, 42 at the extremities thereof, each of said legs 42 overlying the'adjacent outboard guide face of the side frame column, as clearly seen at 44 in the sectional View ofJigp-re 3, each of said legs 42 also having a vertical edge in guiding engagement as at 46 (Figure 1) with the adjacent side wall of the bolster. Each leg 42 of the interlocking member 34 may be seated as at 48 (Figure 3) against the outboard guide lug 32 of the bolster and firmly secured thereagainst by the bolt and nut assemblies 4!], 49 as heretofore described.

()ur novel arrangement assures a satisfactory tie between the side frame and bolster under operating conditions and afiords sufiicient outboard bearing area for the bolster against the outboard face of each column. At the same time, our interlocking member is readily removable from the bolster and side frame without disturbing other parts which may remain in their normal operatthis type of interlocking member even where springs of normal travel are used.

It is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiment of the device shown which is merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In a railway car truck, a truss side frame having tension and compression members and spaced columns defining a bolster opening, said tension member defining a spring seat at the bottom of said opening, springs on said seat, and a bolster supported on said springs with outboard guide lugs, each of said columns having an intermediate guide portion spaced from said compression member to accommodate the assembling or dismantling of 'said bolster at the top of said opening by aifording passage of said lugs therethrough, and auxiliary guide means associated with said side frame and bolster and comprising a member having a horizontal web rigidly fixedto the top web of said bolster and presenting downwardly projecting legs at opposite sides of said bolster intermediate said outboard lugs and the adjacent column guide portions, respectively, each of said legs having a substantially greater vertical depth than the adjacent lug, said depth being greater than the vertical height at the top of the bolster opening above said column guide portions to prevent the accidental disengagement of said side frame and bolster.

2. In a railway car truck, a truss side frame having tension and compression members and spaced columns defining a bolster opening, said tension member defining a spring seat at the bottom of said opening, springs on said seat, and a bolster supported on said springs with outboard guide lugs, each of said columns having an intermediate guide portion spaced from said compression member to accommodate the assembling or dismantling of said bolster at the top of said opening by affording passage of said lugs therethrough, and auxiliary interlocking means for said side frame and bolster afi'ording added bearing area for said bolster against the outboard surfaces of said column guides, said interlocking means comprising a member rigidly fixed at spaced points to the top wall of said bolster and having downwardly projecting legs interposed between said outboard lugs and the adjacent column guide portions and extending substantially below said lugs, each of said legs having a depth greater than the widened portion of said opening above said column guides to prevent accidental disengagementof said side frame and bolster.

3. In a railway car truck of quick wheel change type, a truss side frame having tension and compression members and spaced columns defining the bolster opening, said columns having inter mediate bolster guide portions spaced from said compression member, springs on said tension member in said opening, a bolster end seated on said springs with outboard guide lugs having a depth suitable to accommodate the dismantling of said bolster end above said guide portions through said bolster opening, and interlocking meansfor said side frame and bolster comprising a member having a horizontal web rigidly secured to the top wall of said bolster outboard said .001- umnsand having depending legs interposedbetween said outboard guide lugs and the adjacent outboard faces of said guide portions for guiding engagement therewith, each of said legs extending a substantial distance below the bottoms or said lugs to aiiord additional outboard bearing area for said bolster on said columns.

4. In a railway car truck of quick wheel change typ a truss side frame having tension and compression members and spaced columns defining a bolster opening, said columns having intermediate bolster guide portions spaced from said compression member, springs on said tension member in said opening, a bolster end seated on said springs with outboard guide lugs having a depth suitable to accommodate the dismantling of said bolster end above said guide portions through said bolster opening, and interlocking means for said sideframe and bolster comprising a member having a horizontal web rigidly secured to the top wall of said bolster outboard said columns and having depending legs interposed between said outboard guide lugs and the adjacent outboard faces of said guide portions for guiding engagement therewith, said interlocking member being detachable from said bolster while the side frame and bolster end supporting springs therefor remain in normal assembled relationship.

ROBERT B.-COTTRELL. FRED E. BACHMAN. 

